


Playing My Heartstrings

by hazelNuts



Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Shadowhunter Chronicles - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Background Clary Fray/Isabelle Lightwood, Background Jocelyn Fairchild/Luke Garroway, Background Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood, Fluff, M/M, POV Simon, Social Media, YouTube
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-14
Updated: 2017-02-14
Packaged: 2018-09-24 10:45:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,663
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9720080
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hazelNuts/pseuds/hazelNuts
Summary: Simon is a YouTube musician, though more for fun than as a career move. When he gets multiple requests to do a song with another YouTube musician named Jace Lightwood, he figures he can at least check the guy out.When Simon checks the comments on his latest video, he’s a little surprised by the how many there are. The number of subscribers on his channel has also doubled, almost overnight.‘What the fuck,’ he mutters as he refreshes the page to make sure it’s not some weird error.For Jimon Week Day 1: Social Media





	

**Author's Note:**

> If you think I forgot any tags, please let me know in the comments.

Simon doesn’t get a lot of comments on his videos. There are always supportive comments from his mom, Becky, Clary and her mom, Luke, and his former bandmates when they remember to leave one, but most others are spam, pervs or trolls.

He doesn’t really mind his low viewership. It’s not like he’s still trying to make a career out of his music, though it would be awesome if that happened, and knowing there are only about a hundred people that actually really listen to his songs is far less pressure. His third year at NYU is kicking his ass and he doesn’t have a lot of time to write new material or post regularly.

So when he checks the comments on his latest video, he’s a little surprised by the how many there are. The number of subscribers on his channel has also doubled, almost overnight.

‘What the fuck,’ he mutters as he refreshes the page to make sure it’s not some weird error.

It’s not, apparently.

At first glance, it looks like the usual. His mom left a comment that she’s proud of him, his sister tells him how ingenious it is to write rests or notes he has to hold for several counts right when he needs to push his glasses back up his nose. Clary says she loves it, especially the chorus, and also left all-caps laughter on his sister’s comment. Then there are the people telling him he can make lots of money in a very short time just by clicking the not at all suspicious link, the people telling him he should never play the guitar or sing again, and of course the people who would like him to do his next video naked.

The last dozen or so comments are completely different from anything he’s ever gotten. When he reads the first one, he thinks it might be someone trying to promote themselves in his comments, but then the next one is pretty similar. In fact, they’re all basically saying the same: check out Jace Lightwood’s videos, we think you’d make sweet music together.

Simon thinks over the requests as he reports the spam, trolls and pervs, and answers most of the comments, leaving the requests unanswered for now. It could be fun. He hasn’t really played with anyone in almost a year, and does miss it sometimes.

When Jace Lightwood’s channel is loaded, the first thing Simon thinks is _pretty_. The banner for his page is a picture of Jace, looking right into the camera. Slicked back blond hair, full lips, bright blue eyes, except one is partly brown. It’s probably meant to be intense, but all Simon can think is _so pretty_.

The thumbnails for the videos only show the title and original artist of the songs. Simon has no idea what instrument Jace even plays until he sees a video with the title _Piano Sonata no. 14 in C-sharp Minor (Moonlight Sonata) - Ludwig von Beethoven_.

Not all the videos are music. There appear to vlogs as well, all named _Izzy Is a Creeper_ and then a number. Simon decides to watch those first. Jace doesn’t have any playlists to sort his videos, so Simon scrolls down until he finds the video named _Izzy Is a Creeper #1 (permanent reupload)_.

The quality isn’t very good, probably recorded with a phone. The screen shows Jace sitting behind a grand piano in a living room. It’s pretty dark, the only light coming from the windows and lamp just behind the piano. The camera zooms in, and Simon can see a lock of hair falling in Jace’s face. The guy doesn’t seem to notice, too focused on his music, playing a couple bars at a time and writing something on the sheet music. That’s all there is to the video, but Simon finds himself transfixed. The love and effort that Jace is putting into his music is obvious, even with this low quality.

Simon checks the description, and snorts.

**Izzy keeps figuring out my password and reuploading this vid when I take it down. She says it** **’s to show the world how amazing I am (and I really am), but I** **’m know it** **’s mostly to annoy me.**

It’s the response that Izzy wrote, right below it, that really gets Simon. It reminds him a bit of Becky and Clary.

**I do it for your fans, Jace! And can** **’t a sister be proud of her brother** **’s talents? (But your face every time you realized I put it up again was pretty hilarious)**

Only a few of the _Izzy Is a Creeper_ videos turn out to be Jace working on his own music. There’s one of him trying to teach a gangly looking teenager; it’s not going very well and Jace and Izzy tease the boy, but it’s really sweet. There’s one where Jace and Izzy are throwing around ideas for how to get more hits.

 _‘Maybe I should wear one of those long red dresses and lie on the piano_ ,’ Izzy suggests. She hands Jace the camera. There’s a sigh from Jace, but the camera turns and a beautiful woman with long black hair comes into view. ‘ _Like this_.’ Izzy jumps lightly on the piano and stretches out on it. ‘ _Now they can have something pretty to look at, instead of just your back and hands._ _’_

 _‘My back and hands are plenty pretty_ ,’ Jace counters, turning the camera back on himself and winking.

 _‘Why is Isabelle on my piano?_ _’_ someone off screen asks.

The camera turns to the person who spoke, all Simon can make out are his silhouette and the light reflecting off the glass in his hand and his jewellery.

There’s a thud and then Izzy grabs her phone back from Jace. ‘ _Hi Magnus,_ _’_ she says, just before the video cuts off.

The last of the _Izzy Is a Creeper_ video’s is one of Jace and a tall, dark-haired man messing around on the piano. The guys and Izzy are all laughing. Every couple seconds one of them tries to talk, but it always ends up in more laughter. Simon can’t help smiling. As the video progresses Jace and the other guy are leaning heavily on each other, trying not to fall off the piano bench. Izzy isn’t so fortunate, the video cuts off when she rolls to the floor.

I have no idea if he’s really good, but I’d love to make a video with this guy, Simon thinks to himself. Before watching any of the music videos, he finds Jace’s Instagram and twitter, and hits follow.

After watching the vlogs, Simon isn’t sure what to expect from the “official” videos. For the past half hour he’s seen Jace relaxed, usually in sweats and a t-shirt, joking around with what Simon assumes is his family, or at least long-time friends.

There are plenty of videos to choose from, and plenty of different genres. Simon looks for the original songs Jace had been working on, but not finding them, he clicks on a song he did a cover of a little while ago. The camera is next to the piano at a bit of an angle, focussing on Jace’s hands. The light is soft, and the camera is far better than the one Simon uses. The entire thing is one single shot, no cuts. And it’s beautiful. Jace’s hands glide easily over the keys, his posture relaxed. He doesn’t sing, which is a shame, because Simon would have loved to know what his voice sounded like with a better quality microphone.

By the fifth video, Simon knows he not only really wants to work with Jace, he’s also developing a bit of a crush. How can he not? The guy is gorgeous, talented, and loves his family. If it turns out he has a steady job, his mom will start planning their wedding.

His phone pulls him out of his fantasy. It’s Clary.

‘Hey,’ he says, setting his phone in the holder his sister gave him last Christmas so he can Facetime while studying or playing.

 _‘Can you introduce me to his sister?_ _’_ Clary asks.

‘I don’t even know if he wants to do a collab with me,’ Simon points out.

 _‘But_ you _want to?_ _’_

‘Have you seen his videos? Of course I do. He’s amazing.’

 _‘You talking about his playing or his face?_ _’_ Clary teases.

‘Both,’ Simon admits.

_‘You haven_ _’t read the comments on his vids have you? He got requests for him to work with you, too. Did you see his Instagram? Pretty sure he lives in Brooklyn._ _’_

He hadn’t, actually. He’d simply hit follow, and figured he’d go through it later.

‘Are you pushing this because you think his sister’s hot or because you think it would be fun?’

 _‘Both_ ,’ Clary grins. _‘Becky going to be there tomorrow?_ _’_

Simon’s sister lives on the other side of New York and her work at the hospital means she’s sometimes too tired to make it to their mom’s for _Shabbat_.

‘Hopefully. If they don’t throw an extra shift at her.’

_‘Say hi to everyone from me._ _’_

_‘And me!_ _’_

_‘And Luke. Now go like all the pics an your new crush_ _’ Instagram._ _’_

‘You, too,’ Simon throws back.

Clary winks, then ends the call.

Simon tries to resist it, but now Clary’s put the idea in his head. He grabs his phone, and makes his way to the kitchen. He can eat and nurse his crush at the same time.

~

The next morning Simon has to run to make it to class. It’s his own fault really. He spent far too much time on Jace’s Instagram last night, then had to work until 2am to get his reading done. He’d wanted to like and comment on every single one of Jace’s posts, but there’s a point where it gets weird. He probably passed that well before he realized he was liking things Jace posted over six months ago. Jace already sent him a couple messages back, Simon saw the notifications on his phone, but so far he’s been too afraid to check them.

The lecture and the study group that follows take his mind off it a bit, and he keeps his phone in his pocket so it won’t taunt him.

When he gets home that afternoon, he can’t put it off any longer. Ready for the possibility he’s going to have to delete all his social media accounts, Simon unlocks his phone. Jace has left quite a view comments and likes on Simon’s own Instagram, commented on a couple of his videos, retweeted him once, and followed him on every account Simon has posted links for. There’s even a DM waiting for him on twitter.

**I** **’m guessing you liked what you saw ;)**

Simon thinks for a moment then answers.

I did. The camera you use is much better than mine.

He doesn’t expect Jace to reply immediately, and jumps when his phone vibrates in his hand.

**Wanna come over and check it out ;)**

You gonna put a ;) after every sentence?

**Yes ;)**

‘What are you smiling about?’ Becky asks from his doorway.

‘Nothing,’ Simon says, quickly putting down his phone.

‘Is it that Jace guy? Clary says you have a crush on him.’ Becky sits down next to him, and pretends to be sly about looking where his phone is.

‘I haven’t even met him yet!’ Simon protests.

His sister pats his knee. ‘I have a crush on Sebastian Stan. Didn’t need to meet him for that.’

‘You’re the worst,’ Simon mutters, but wraps his arm around her to give her a quick hug. ‘Glad you could make it.’

A muffled buzz comes from under Simon’s butt.

‘At least your crush is attainable,’ Becky pouts.

Simon snorts. ‘Have you seen him?’

‘You’re the prettiest little brother in the world.’ She ruffles his hair then jumps out of his reach and walks out of his room before he can retaliate.

**Wanna meet up tomorrow? ;)**

Can ’t

Sunday?

It takes a couple minutes for Jace to answer.

**1pm work for you? ;)**

I ’ll bring my guitar

~

The address Jace gave him is easy to find. The front door, however, is not. There are several doors, but there are no doorbells, or even an old-fashioned doorknocker. There’s a set of stairs on the side of the building that leads up to what is probably the first floor, but it doesn’t look like it gets used often. He’s circled the building twice, when he bumps into Jace.

Simon stumbles back, both from the impact and the realization that the camera really didn’t do Jace justice. He’s wearing a leather jacket and dark jeans, his hair looks soft and free of product. A small, crooked smile appears on his lips as he grabs Simon’s elbow to steady him.

Simon inwardly sighs. This probably isn’t going to end well for him.

‘You’re early,’ Jace says.

‘Is that a problem?’

‘Just an observation. Come one.’

Jace leads him to a door, set just below ground level, that Simon had missed on his rounds of the building.

‘This is the front door?’ Simon has to ask.

‘All the other doors are antique, original to the building. Magnus wanted to keep the outside the same as much as possible. This one wasn’t original to the building, so he replaced it with a sturdier one,’ Jace explains. Then he smirks. ‘Why? You think I’m leading you into my murder basement?’

‘The thought did cross my mind,’ Simon laughs a little nervously. It’s definitely something that might happen to him, getting lured to his death by a beautiful person.

Jace rolls his eyes, then grabs Simon’s hand and pulls him inside. At the end of a short hallway, there is a staircase leading up, and Jace keeps a light hold on Simon’s hand until they’re at the top. His hand is a little cold from outside, but it feels big and secure around Simon’s. He feels a little sad when Jace lets go to unlock another door.

‘Wow,’ Simon breathes as he steps inside and looks around. The place is huge and lavishly decorated. The outside wall is made out of windows, letting in lots of light. He carefully takes his guitar off his back to make sure he doesn’t accidentally knock over something expensive. ‘You live here?’

Jace shakes his head and points to one of the pictures on the wall. ‘My brother and his fiancé do. They let me use their place for the videos because it’s a little more soundproof than mine.’

‘That’s pretty cool of them,’ Simon says as he studies the picture. He recognizes the taller guy as the one from the last of Izzy’s videos, the one Jace had been laughing in. The other guy looks familiar, but Simon can’t really place him.

‘We’ve only got this place for two hours today,’ Jace warns him. ‘Alec and Magnus are out, but they said they’d be back by three. And Alec told me they had “plans” for the afternoon.’

‘Well, we better get started then.’

Jace gets them both something to drink while Simon checks if his guitar is tuned and warms up his fingers. When they’re both ready to start playing, they realize they haven’t decided _what_ to play, yet.

‘So, what should we play?’ Simon asks.

‘We could do a cover or one of your songs,’ Jace suggests. ‘They’re pretty good.’

Simon flushes a little at the compliment. ‘Thanks. I did bring some stuff that I’ve been working on, but none of it’s even close to finished.’

‘Let me see.’ Jace holds out his hand expectantly.

A little hesitant, Simon pulls out the spiral he uses for his song writing. He doesn’t usually let anyone see them before they’re done, but he knows Jace writes his own music as well, and will probably see where he’s going with what he already has.

Jace flips through the spiral until he finds the songs Simon has been working on. He studies each of them in turn. The corner of his mouth turns up as he slides his fingers over the words and chords Simon already put down, and Simon finds himself staring.

‘Can you play this for me?’ Jace asks holding up the spiral so Simon can see what song he means.

Simon clears his throat as he pulls himself out of his daze. He nervously pushes his glasses up his nose when he sees the song Jace picked. It’s about unrequited love, and it’s pretty bleak.

He really hopes Jace isn’t trying to tell him something.

He clears his throat again and sets his fingers on the strings. The first verse is the only part he already has chords for, but he has an idea of what he wants for the chorus, so he plays them both. When he’s done he looks up at Jace, nervously. That small, crooked smile is on his lips again, and Simon breathes a little easier.

‘That was pretty good,’ Jace nods.

‘It still needs a lot of work,’ Simon says. ‘Especially if there needs to be music for the piano as well.’

‘If you’re okay with doing this song for the video, I’ll help of course.’

‘Let’s get to work, then.’

Jace sets the spiral on the piano’s music rack. ‘Let’s get to work.’

It’s slow work, Simon playing what he’s already got and Jace searching for a way to support that. It sounds easy enough, but they argue about a single note or chord every couple bars. They keep changing things, crossing things out, adding them, and it doesn’t take long before the page is a mess and Jace gets blank music sheets out. Simon moves from the chair he’d been sitting on to the piano bench, his side pressed against Jace’s, so it’s easier for him reach the paper if he wants to write something down.

He doesn’t realize how focussed he is on the music and Jace, until Jace sighs, ‘What the hell are you doing here, Izzy?’

Simon looks up. Jace’s sister is standing a couple feet away, half-hidden by a bookcase, her phone in her hand. She walks towards them and takes the chair Simon vacated.

‘Clary told me Simon was here, so I decided to drop by,’ she explains, then holds out her hand to Simon. ‘Isabelle.’

‘Hi. Simon,’ Simon manages to get out. He shakes her hand, and moves a little closer to Jace. She scares him, not because she’s _scary_ , but because she looks like she knows something he doesn’t and that something is vitally important. ‘But you already knew that. Wait, you know Clary?’

‘Who’s Clary?’ Jace asks.

‘Simon’s friend. We’re going out for coffee later.’ Izzy narrows her eyes and focuses on Jace. ‘The real question is why you didn’t tell me that Simon would be here today.’

‘Because I knew you’d show up, even if I told you not to,’ Jace points out.

‘Hmm, that’s true. You two sound amazing together, by the way.’ Izzy stands up and holds up her phone, looking right at Simon. ‘You don’t mind if I post this, do you?’

‘Fine by me,’ Simon shrugs.

‘Great,’ she smiles. ‘Well, I have to get ready for my date. Bye!’

Simon stares after her, feeling like he somehow survived a hurricane.

‘You okay?’ Jace asks, a teasing smile on his lips. ‘Izzy can be a little overwhelming when you first meet her.’

‘She’s going on a date with Clary,’ Simon says.

Jace frowns. ‘You worried about your friend? Izzy might look like she leaves a trail of broken hearts behind her, but she would never intentionally hurt someone.’

‘Oh, I’m not worried about Clary,’ Simon assures him. ‘I’m worried about the rest of us when those two get together.’

Jace chuckles, but it dies when he sees the look on Simon’s face. ‘Shit, you’re serious aren’t you?’

‘I’m sure it’ll be fine,’ Simon says. Even to his own ears, he doesn’t sound very convincing.

They work for a little while longer, and then it’s time to go. They clear away their things, decide to meet up again on Wednesday, and then they’re saying goodbye.

Simon looks back over his shoulder as he makes his way to the subway, catching Jace looking after him.

~

The two weeks that follow are completely insanely busy for Simon, between college and working on the song with Jace, he barely has time to eat and sleep. He doesn’t really mind, though. He loves every second he spends with Jace, and any of his family that just “happens” to stop by. They don’t always get a lot of work done because of that, though.

One night, Clary had shown up with Izzy, and realized that Magnus is a friend of her mom’s. That had led to Jocelyn and Luke showing up, which led to Magnus deciding to throw an impromptu party, and somehow Jace and Simon got roped into being the entertainment.

Alec didn’t seem to like Simon much at first, but after Simon met their little brother, Max, and agreed to let him borrow some of his comics, they progressed to being friendly, if not exactly friends.

Simon has gotten to know Jace pretty well during their song writing sessions. Jace is protective and loyal, especially when it comes to his friends and family. He really is as confident as he seems, but there are little nuggets of insecurity. One of them is his singing, but with Izzy and Magnus’ help Simon managed to convince Jace to turn their song into a duet. He teaches self-defence, in gyms, community centres, and schools. He uses more emojis than necessary, and never fails to put a winky face after any text he sends Simon. His coffee addiction rivals Simon’s own, and mutters “heresy” every time Simon puts sugar in his.

All this adds up to the fact that, by the time they’re doing a final rehearsal before filming, Simon is half in love with him. He’s been trying to figure out a way to keep Jace in his life. They’ll probably still hang out after this. With Clary and Izzy dating it’s almost a given, but he likes to think they’ve at least become friends in the past two weeks and that Jace would like to hang out with _him_ , not just his sister’s girlfriend’s best friend.

‘Welcome to my home,’ Jace says as he opens the door to his apartment.

They’d mostly worked at Alec and Magnus’, because there’d been construction across the street from Jace’s. Jace’s place is a lot smaller, but still roomy for a New York apartment. It suits him. It’s tidy, and the furniture looks fairly new, with straight, modern lines. The oldest thing in the apartment is an upright piano. The music for the song is already set up.

‘Coffee?’ Jace asks.

‘Thanks.’

Simon sets his guitar next to the piano before he explores the living room. There’s a huge bookcase, stuffed with books of all genres and ages just out of reach of the sunlight streaming in through the large windows. There’s a coffee table with a cactus on it, a television across from the couch. There are a couple paintings of landscapes on the walls, and there’s a dresser with an array of framed photographs on it. Most of the pictures are from Jace and his family, but there’s only one where Jace looks younger than twelve. It’s half hidden by a picture of Alec giving Max a piggyback ride, and shows a handsome blond man holding a young boy.

‘Here.’

Simon jumps. He hadn’t realized Jace had come back in. Quickly taking the cup Jace offers him and taking a sip, he tries to hide that he’d been snooping. The coffee burns his tongue, and he barely manages not to spit it out.

‘Come on. We have a song to practice,’ Jace says, shaking his head, looking amused.

They’ve played the song enough times to know it by heart, and they sound great. They’ve divided the lyrics between them so it sounds like two people singing about being in love with each other and thinking their feelings aren’t returned. It’s sad, but also a little hopeful, Simon thinks, because maybe, one day, one of them will get the courage to actually take the first step.

They make a few minor changes, and then they’re done.

‘You excited for Sunday?’ Jace asks.

‘I am. I really love what this song has become,’ Simon admits. He looks at Jace then, and his heart hurts a little. Jace looks so soft, with his hair a little messy and a loose fitting hoody. Simon’s fingers twitch against the strings of his guitar, and he quickly slams his hand against it to silence them. ‘And I’ve missed working on music with someone else. I’d forgotten how much fun it could be.’

‘And what a pain in the ass,’ Jace adds with a grin.

‘That too,’ Simon admits. He gathers all the courage he’s saved up the past two weeks and continues, ‘So, I was thinking that, if you wanted to, we could maybe do this again. Work on a song together. Doesn’t have to be right after this, of course, but, you know, in the future. At some point.’

‘I’d like that.’

Simon breathes out a sigh of relief. ‘Great. Awesome. Hey, maybe we could do one of your songs.’

‘No,’ Jace says resolutely. ‘My songs are nowhere near finished.’

Simon sets his guitar down so he can move next to Jace on the bench. He bumps their shoulders together.

‘I had lyrics and a couple chords, and together we turned it into a masterpiece,’ he grins, gesturing at the sheet music. ‘We’re a dynamic duo of music. Like Sonny & Cher.’

‘They broke up,’ Jace points out.

‘Fine. Simon & Garfunkel, then.’

‘They broke up, too. Do you know anyone from this century?’

‘The Daft Punk of singer-songwriters. That work for you?’

‘A little ambitious, don’t you think?’

Simon glares, but it doesn’t last long when he sees the teasing glint in Jace’s eyes. ‘My point is, we’re a dream team.’

The expression on Jace’s face suddenly changes, turns soft and relaxed in a way that Simon hasn’t seen before.

‘It feels like a dream sometimes,’ Jace murmurs. He slowly reaches a hand up to Simon’s face, and cradles his cheek. His other arm wraps around Simon’s waist.

Simon’s ears are ringing, and Jace can probably feel his heart pounding where they’re pressed together. Jace gives him plenty of time to pull back, but that is the absolute last thing Simon wants to do right now.

It’s a little awkward, the angle slightly off and Simon’s glasses are in the way until Jace sets them on top of the piano. Simon grabs a fistful of Jace’s shirt and uses it to pull himself up a little. And then it’s perfect. He’s not sure how long he has before he needs to come up for air, but he never wants it to stop.

Searching for leverage to move onto Jace’s lap, Simon slams his hand on the open piano. He jumps at the discordant _clang_ , and almost falls off the bench.

Jace tightens his grip on Simon’s waist and pulls him upright, shoulders shaking with silent laughter.

‘Asshole,’ Simon mutters with a smile. ‘Is that a yes to doing one of your songs?’

‘It’s an I’ll think about it. No promises.’ Jace shoves Simon to the edge of the bench. ‘Now get back to your chair and start playing, Lewis.’

Before he does, Simon leans in for another quick kiss. Just because he can.

~

Their viewers love the song. Half of the comments are requests for more, and the other half are people asking if they’re dating. They don’t answer those last questions, but the next _Izzy Is a Creeper_ video shows Jace shutting Simon up with a kiss when Simon tries to serenade him, so they don’t really need to.

**Author's Note:**

> Come say hi on [tumblr](http://fandom-madnessess.tumblr.com/).


End file.
